A Caged Sparrow
by Kylis D'nera
Summary: This is an AU where Daine is captured by Carthak. After a year under Ozorne's rule, she has become the Emperor's pet. But when a certain mage and his escort from Tortall arrive, Daine's stoic world is being flipped upside down. [DaiNum] R&R!
1. Chapter 1

Why hello, everyone! This is my second Tamora Pierce fic, yet this one is set within the Immortal Quartet. I'm not sure when I can update, because my muse is very erratic, but I'm hoping for it to be soon.

Also, I realize this is a very commonly-used main plot, with Daine belonging to Carthak, but I tried to put a bit of a different twist on it.

**Dislclaimer:** I do not own anything by Tamora Pierce.

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__Her heartbeat was frantic, just like the rest of her body. For a fleeting moment, she thought it would burst from her chest. Yet after that moment, human thought left her. In her mind, all she felt was the hunt. At the edge of her sight was the red of bloodlust. Fur brushed her naked side, and she knew her pack-mate ran beside her. From the scent it was Brokefang. Another wolf, Short-Snout, howled a hunting cry, joyful and melodious in her ears. She could see her prey in front of her, a hairy, drunk two-legger, and she leaped. She felt her teeth sink into flesh, heard the scream of a dying man, and had her first taste of the salty red liquid they call blood..._

Daine sat bolt upright, a cold film of sweat covering her body, and she forced herself to breathe normally. She swallowed hard. She heard a shifting sound from the adjoining room, that of Emperor Ozorne, and her breath stilled. Only once she heard him snoring lightly did she let herself breathe again. Putting her face in trembling hands, the last in that terrible chain of memories flashed through her thoughts.

_She felt the villager's knife in her side before she was even able to turn around. She screamed, writhing, trying to get her nails in the human...But shock soon overcame her, and she passed out cold. When she next woke, she was covered in big, flowering bruises, one eye swelled shut, on a slave boat headed for Carthak. She had been put into a burlap-type peasant dress. She recalled a woman coming to her, attempting to get her to eat, but she only snarled viciously and crouched in a corner, eyes wild enough to warn the woman away._

_When they reached Carthak, it took three bulky men to remove her from the ship, for all that she was thin and malnourished. Ozorne had seen the wolf-child as an exception; she knew she would never forget even one of his 'lessons'. Over time she once again learned the ways of the two-leggers, but she was by no means her old self. She was simply Ozorne's pet, his favorite toy. She had been submitted to all sorts of horrible 'teaching' so that she was as obedient and docile as a mouse. Just about as timid, as well. Her free will was gone._

It was like that now. Everything she did was to prove to the Emperor that she didn't need more lessons. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she remembered a carefree, loving girl, whose dreams were surpassed only by the size of her heart. She also remembered a cocky pony, who was motherly in a way that made her feel warm. Yet Daine could not remember who these creatures were. Only that she had a feeling she would never meet them again.

For some reason Daine's vision blurred. Rubbing at her eyes, she blinked in surprise as they came back wet. That night the girl went to sleep with confusion and restlesness in her heart.

000

The next morning Daine awoke in her normal routine. The slaves had a lavender-oil bath ready for her, as was the Emperor's preference. He liked his pet to smell nice. After that slaves dressed her in fine silks, ones that limited her leg movement and covered the slave-collar on her neck. Both of these things was to make sure she wouldn't run off, even though she was too docile to even think of that now.

Just as she finished said dressing, a customary knock came to the door. When opened, it revealed a hunched old slave, who spoke with a wheezing voice. "The Emperor... would like to... see you now." He seemed to have trouble simply catching his breath. Daine simply nodded and, with a slave escort, walked to the imperial aviary. That was where Ozorne always went in the morning.

As the slave opened the door, she was met with a big smile and cheering eyes. Ozorne would be an easy man to like, had she not seen his less appealing sides. Sure, he looked happy-go-lucky now, but that would surely change the next time he was met with bad news.

"Good morning, my dear. I have a bit of news for you." He paused, seemingly for dramatic effect, which was wasted on the stoic Daine. "A few friends of mine are coming from Tortall to pay a visit." Now this made Daine blink in surprise. She had not known Ozorne liked anything to do with Tortall. "Oh, yes. It should be most wonderful. Feasting and dancing, and a delightful after party show of a hanging." Ah. So that was it. Daine simply nodded mutely. "You will, of course, be serving them, my dear. Make the remaining days of their lives good ones."

A sickened feeling rolled in her stomach, but she simply bowed, noting the dismissal in his voice. As she turned to leave, he said one more thing to her back. "They will be arriving tomorrow. I would like you to meet them there. And..." His voice took a dangerous edge and she turned to look at his face. She would have flinched if she wasn't already used to such threats. "There will be no tricks with those animals of yours. Remember, they find out of your trickery, I will kill every animal from horses to mice in this palace. Do you understand?"

Daine's face had gone white, but she nodded and fled. She had been told that threat in her lessons. And she knew he would do it. She had not communicated with the People in the year or so since she had been here. She had blocked out their voices. She had no interest in causing a slaughter. Trembling and shaken, she began her preparations for the next day.

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Ignore the size, since my first chapters are always short. Well, actually, all of my chapters might be like this... it just depends how creative I'm feeling.

Anyway, review, people! I love reviews!


	2. Chapter 2

And here we are, on the second chapter. Now, I'm not going to thank each individual who reviewed, for it is rather time-consuming, but know I really, truly appreciate it!

I use 000 as breaks in the story. In this chapter, the first one is a time skip, but the view has not changed. The rest are view changes between Daine and Numair. Make sense?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything by Tamora Pierce

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The next morning Daine was awoken by a loud, scratching noise outside her window. Tired and drowsy, Daine never even once considered the option that it might be something dangerous. Stifling a yawn, Daine opened the curtains of her four-foot high window. She balked.

A large herding dog, the kind favored by nobles, stood with his paws on the lip of the window. He was a mixture of black, brown, and tan, with pointed ears and intelligent eyes. He saw Daine and wagged his tail, dropping onto all fours. He let out a friendly bark, deep and echoing.

Daine quickly shut the curtains, ignoring the dog's whine. Her face was set into something closer to fear than it had been in a year. The dog continued to whine softly as she sat on her bed, trying to think. He couldn't be seen around her. He would get himself and every other creature here killed. _No,_ a horrible part of her said. _It wouldn't be his fault. It would be _yours.

A more sensible part of her questioned why the dog had come in the first place. Yet she knew why. This must be a new dog, brought by some noble trying to get in favor of the Emperor. He didn't know the rules as the resident animals did. They stayed away. Yet this one didn't know any better, and so he was drawn to her by whatever force had always attracted animals.

A knock at the door made her panic. Her blue-grey eyes flicked around, and finally landed on the curtains. In a split-second decision, she jumped up, opening said curtains, and waved the dog inside. He took the hint, backing up and bunching the muscles in his hindquarters, flying through the window. She sent silent thanks up to the Graveyard Hag, the patron goddess of Carthak, that the dog was not muddy. She quickly pushed him into her small closet, whispering apologies about the size. He sat down, thumped his tail once, then was silent. She shut the door as the knock came again.

"His most Imperial Majesty requires you to meet his guests at the docks, Mistress." The voice was that of an older woman, not her usual elderly slave. The only reason the old man had not been sent away at the end of his prime was because Daine had begged Ozorne to let him stay. He had relented.

But he was the only old slave in the palace. Yet when she answered the door, an old, hunched woman with a missing eye stood there. She held a cane in one hand. "You'd best hurry, deary. The ship should arrive in a half hour's time." Daine nodded, then shut the door, ignoring the oddness of the old woman for now. She hurriedly bathed and dressed in a gown of pale gold, left out by slaves. It was simple in design, but low-cut in the front and shapely, hugging her curves. She did not have the curves of a grown woman, being all of fourteen, but the gown made her look regal. It was obvious Ozorne was trying to impress his guests.

After that, right on cue, Ozorne's mute slaves entered her chambers, signaling for her to sit whilst they applied makeup. They added a gold dusting to her long, curly brown hair, and an odd ointment that kept the unruly curls under control. They used a small amount of eye- and lip-paint of gold, to finish the look. As she glanced at a mirror, she would have gasped in shock, had she not had such good self control. She looked like a goddess.

Ozorne _really_ wanted to impress his guests.

The only thing that shattered the surreal look was the dark silver slave band around her neck. So that was it. He wanted to show not only that he had beauty serving him, but that he controlled that beauty with an iron fist.

Face passive and stoic, she turned to the mute slaves. They led the way out of her room, and guided her down to the docks.

000

The ship ride to Carthak had been a miserable one for Numair Salamin. But he knew it was necessary to sit in the dingy pile of wood they called a boat.

To put it simply, Tortall was a ruin. Ever since Pirate's Swoop had fallen the year before and the Queen and heirs had been slain, everything had gone awry. Even King Jonathan's Dominion Jewel could do nothing. Immortals attacked in fatal swoops. Gryphons attacked port cities, Stormwings attacked wherever dead was found, and Spidrens and centaurs drove humans from woodland homes and the Royal Forest. Those still alive crowded to Corus, jamming as many as possible into the city and palace as was possible. The palace itself had become a fortress. High walls and protection spells were their defenses, and knight training had all but ceased. They taught young children as much as they could, but no one important could be spared as an instructor. And so the once beautiful Tortall was in shambles.

There was a unanimous shock that filled everyone at Emperor Ozorne's call for a possible treaty. He had requested that members of importance were sent to Carthak as an act of goodwill. However, most members of importance had been slain, and the King could not be spared. So, Numair, the Lioness, and Gareth the Younger were the envoy. Gareth would be doing most of the work on the treaty, while Alanna and Numair were simply there on acts of faith. To Numair's acute surprise, his arrest had been put on hold. The Emperor seemed truly willing to make peace.

Of course, Numair suspected the Emperor only wanted to bring Tortall peacefully under his control, and it might well come to that. Truthfully, Tortall was running out of options. They had no food, no water, and no protection. They'd been run into a corner, and the Emperor well knew it.

With a tired sigh, Numair looked at Alanna, seated beside him. She looked tired and exhausted, and he now noticed subtle grey streaks in her copper hair. She smiled wryly, face a bit green. The war had taken a toll on them all.

He felt mixed relief and anxiety as he felt the ship slow. He would soon be reaching his old home, and meeting old enemies.

With a sigh, the tall man stood.

000

When Daine arrived at the docks, the other slaves left. Taking a look around, she saw no unfamiliar ships, and a wave of relief swept through her. She didn't want to think of the punishment she might have received had she had been late.

Nearly ten minutes later, she saw the ship coming in on the horizon. It looked as if might have been a wonder of Tortall in good times. But it had been ill looked after, and now would sell for very little, if at all.

She waited, a perfect statue, as the ship docked. It was only a moment later that the ship's passengers disembarked. She was, frankly, surprised at what she saw. One man was tall, dark-skinned, with black hair tied back. Another was a smallish woman, sword on her hip. Inside, Daine gasped. This was the Lioness, fame of Tortallan knights. Outwardly, however, her face showed no recognition or interest. The last man was plain-looking, yet handsome in his own way.

She walked foreword, unnoticed until now.

000

Numair did a double take. He blinked, captivated by this goddess of a girl walking toward them. The silk of her gown made soft whispers when she moved, and the specks of gold her hair made her seem to glow. The image was broken, however, as he saw the collar on her neck. Disgusted, he looked away. How like Ozorne to flaunt his power in such a way. Alanna, unlike her tall friend, nodded to the girl, but was a bit unnerved by the lack of response.

Finally, the girl opened gold-touched lips. "Welcome, Nobilities of Tortall, to Carthak. His Imperial Majesty sends his regards, and his apologies for not meeting you in person." Numair was angered to hear the lack of... of _care _in her voice. As if she was afraid to show emotion. _She probably is,_ the mage thought angrily. _Damn Ozorne and his games!_

Oblivious to Numair's silent anger, the girl continued. "I am Veralidaine, if it pleases your Lordships. I will be your guide whilst you are here. Now, if you would please follow me, I will escort you to your rooms." She bowed deeply, then turned, not even looking back. The three Tortallans followed. Out of earshot of the girl, Alanna leaned toward Numair. "There's something strange about her. She's not magicked, or I'd see it, but there's something," Numair nodded. "Yes, and I believe I know what it is. However, we can talk about it once we reach our rooms. You never know who could be listening."

"Of course, even then I'm sure our rooms are spelled as well," Gareth - Gary - mused. Numair nodded, but said nothing.

After walking through the splendid palace of Ozorne, they finally reached their rooms. "His Imperial Majesty would like to see you once you are settled. I will return to you in an hour's time." She bowed once more, then shut the door behind the Tortallans.

The room they were in was a Common Room, large and comfortable. There were various doors all around the room, each leading to a bedroom.

Numair let his magic fill the room, blotting out listening spells and blocking prying ears. "Now, as long as we're here we need to be careful." The others nodded, and he continued on to his point. "Now, this girl... she's got wild magic. She tried carefully to hide it, but she's not trained to do such things. In fact, I don't believe she's trained at all, and she has more of it than I've ever seen. I'm surprised she was even able to keep it under control at all."

Gary sat down in one of the chairs. "Do you think she's a threat?" Numair shook his head. "If she was so careful to conceal it, I don't think she wants us to know she has it. So, for now, at least, I think she is no threat. Now, let's go get ready. We need to bathe and be ready for our meeting with Ozorne."

000

Daine closed the door to her room, leaning on it to catch her breath. She thought over what had happened.

The Lioness seemed well enough, if unused to slaves. The shorter man had said nothing, for which she was grateful. The tall man, however... She didn't know what to make of him. There was a powerful aura around him, even greater than that of Ozorne's. And that scared her. What if he tried to take her from here? What if he noticed her power and made her fight against Ozorne?

_Would that be so bad?_ a part of her asked. She shook her head, as if to get rid of the thoughts. Instead of pondering the possibilities, she locked the door and walked over to her closet. After a moment of hesitation, she opened the door.

The big dog jumped passed her, and she squeaked. Clamping a hand over her mouth, she turned to look at him. He sat obediently at the foot of her bed. Slowly, _slowly, _she let down her guard a bit.

It felt so sweet to be able to hear the sound of the People again. But she carefully blocked them out. She couldn't hear them, for if she did, she might be tempted to keep hearing. So she focused her energy on the dog. _What's your name?_ she asked silently. She didn't want to talk aloud and alert the other slaves.

Apple, he said, tail thumping wildly. That's what the two-legger called me, anyway.

Daine looked at him apprehensively. _You can't stay here. You need to leave, or you could die._

I'll be good, Apple whined. I'll hide in the closet when two-leggers come, and I'll be quiet, I promise!

Getting a good look at him, she saw that he was only a month or two out of adolescence. And he was scared. She asked him why.

He cast me out, the two-legger did. And I've never been on my own.

Daine looked at those large, pleading brown eyes, and felt her resolve buckle. _Alright. But don't try to talk to me this way. Most of the time I won't be able to hear you, like this morning._ He yipped acknowledgment, then lay down, curling so his wolf-like tail touched his nose.

With a sigh, Daine went to change. She had a feeling the next couple of days would not be boring.

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-sigh- Well, that's done. I don't know when I'll get the next one up, but hopefully it will be soon.

Review, review, review! You know I love, people!


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